"But have you thought about how this will affect Ashen himself...?"
Akidia felt as if a bucket of cold water had splashed on her face. "...What do you mean...?" She asked, slowly turning her eyes to her son.
Ashen averted his gaze. 'Don't look at me, I've got no clue either...'
Lucia tilted her head, still smiling, but her presence shifted, becoming less approachable and more steely. "Aunty, I'm not talking about the contract or the company's response... There is that too, but more than that, it is Ashen himself..."
"...You only saw and still see the bad about this, but why don't you also try focusing on the good side of things?" Her tone was one of innocent wondering, but the questions themselves were pointed despite the innocent delivery.
"...Ashen's changes... They only happened after he took this job, didn't they? No matter how dangerous this is, it doesn't dissolve the truth before your eyes..."
And in an even lower tone, Lucia delivered the coup de grâce. "...And what if Ashen relapses into his old condition after quitting...? Ashen told me before... that he'd rather die... than go back to that state..."
Akidia's heart ached, not only at her son's resolve to not devolve back into that mess, even at the cost of his life, but also at Lucia's genuinely deep sadness marring her face as she said those words.
"...Aunty, would you rather put Ashen back in a state where he wished he was dead, just because you are afraid of him getting hurt?" The gentle voice she used while delivering those lines didn't ease the sharpness they held.
"I... No, I don't..." Akidia stuttered as she tried to deny the words.
Ashen's grip on Lucia's hand suddenly tightened; his warning was clear, but she didn't stop, and he could only trust her as she went on.
"...I know you worry for Ashen, but sometimes worry can do more harm than good when it is misplaced..." Lucia glanced helplessly at Ashen. "...Especially for men who already have a goal in mind and are actively striving for it... Stopping them from doing what they must would only crush their convictions... make them doubt themselves, and even feel their pride trampled on..."
"I've seen Ashen's conviction to change for the better... his pride for the person he is becoming..."
Then her voice softened as she let a smile grace her lips. "...Aunty, you yourself, as a married woman must know that whatever you do to your man, don't crush his pride, and as a mother, whatever you do to your son, don't snuff his convictions... Ashen is both your son and also a man..."
"...Of course I understand..." Akidia sighed defeatedly.
'No, what do you understand?' Ashen sat frozen, watching his mother drink in every word like it was gospel.
And under his dumbfounded gaze, she even looked at him apologetically, as if she really wronged him. 'Ugh... mom... please, stop that look, I'm going to drown in guilt here...'
"So, in short, you want him gone another six months... off playing with toys?" His father, silent until now, finally weighed in.
"...Toys?" Lucia asked back, as if she genuinely didn't understand what he meant.
Hans looked at her stiffly. "Isn't it what he's doing basically...? You made it sound so grandiose, but he's just shooting untested weapons, risking his life meaninglessly, and endlessly worrying his mother here..."
Lucia didn't miss a beat. She tilted her head, smile sharpening into something cooler. "With all due respect, Mr. Hart, I can't have you disrespecting Ashen's work now. As you know, Atlas Defense works closely with the government, so most of our weapons are shipped to the army."
The room stilled. Even Lapis, who'd been glaring at Lucia like a cat with its fur up, sank back a little.
Lucia's voice turned solemn. "He risks his life so that our soldiers' weapons don't explode in their hands, forfeiting their lives..."
'Well, not long after this, he will be risking his life to protect this whole continent, not mere soldiers, so I'm actually downplaying it here...' Lucia couldn't help but retort to herself.
"...Lives that they, in turn, will use to protect our country... protect our people... people including everyone in this room..."
"...Including you, Mr. Hart, so I can't allow you to degrade this job, that even our soldiers at the frontline respect, to playing with toys—"
'And now to de-escalate...'
She suddenly stiffened, as if she caught herself, the heat in her voice considerably lessened. "I'm sorry, I spoke too much... I-I just..."
Hans waved his hands, not looking particularly angry or flustered despite the scolding. "You don't have to apologize, lady. I misspoke, so it's me that owes an apology to Vandalar's soldiers and everyone who risks their lives out there so ours stay comfortable..."
Though it was hard to believe that his deadbeat son had suddenly become so patriotic overnight, he grumbled under his breath.
'He unexpectedly apologized when he realized that he was at fault, despite the remark being more of a slip than his real feelings... A rare quality these days...' Lucia filed the observation away, while silently raising her opinion of Ashen's family another step.
'That one though...' She discreetly glanced at the completely silent girl. 'Lapis, was it? Still as suspicious as ever... She's gonna be harder to deal with...'
'For now, let's end this charade...'
"Mr. Hart, I know that you only speak out of worry for your son, so let me apologize again for my outburst." She looked at him sheepishly, and he only grunted in response, though his tense shoulders seemed suddenly less tense.
Lucia, meanwhile, replayed the entire encounter in her mind. 'I've given them a reason for Ashen to stay on the job in his physical and mental transformation...'
'And another reason for him not to quit the job in the form of possible relapse to his previous state...'
'...A reason for the mother to not let her worries and fears hold him back despite the danger involved...'
'...I dispelled their image of the job being something trivial by making it patriotic instead...'
'The cause, the consequence, the reason... all of them are present. Now, let's dangle some practical benefits...'
"...In fact," she let her voice turn a touch more excited, "Ashen's job might not stay the same! At the rate he's getting promoted, I won't be surprised if he lands a place among the army itself. Maybe even becoming a supervisor in Atlas Defense is not a dream~"
"Actually, Ashen himself confessed that he wanted to join the army one day if he got the chance!" She looked at him encouragingly.
'You wanted to be a war hero, did you not? So I'm technically not even lying here...'
All she got was the barest twitch of his lips.
'Now... the final ingredient, Sincerity.'
She leaned slightly forward, steadily eyeing each of them, relaxed her shoulders, loosened her fists, and assumed an unclenched posture.
And she began her last performance of the day.
"...This may sound presumptuous, but please... Please allow Ashen to continue his job at Atlas... This request is not only for Ashen..." She put a hand over her heart. "I've long since grown used to watching his determined figure... his unwavering momentum... The way he keeps going day by day… So this means as much to me as it means to him..."
Her voice turned completely heartfelt. "I–I swear... I'll do my best to protect him and care for him... Your son is under my supervision now. Believe me when I say, no one is more invested in keeping him alive than I am."
She briefly paused before blurting, "Even if you don't believe in me as a stranger... please believe in my feelings instead!"
'Ugh... I can't believe she said that.' Ashen had to resist the urge to mentally recoil from second-hand embarrassment.
But no matter how much he cringed, he couldn't deny that her words were working as he looked at his family's complicated expressions.
"...Would you really keep your word...?" Surprisingly, it was his mom who folded first.
Lucia nodded firmly. "My role is to shadow him, always watch him... You have my word—I wouldn't be here otherwise."
She shifted closer to Ashen, resting her hand on his shoulder in a gesture just shy of possessive. "He's more stubborn than he looks, but I'll keep him standing. That's a promise."
Hans kept his silence, but that was practically an affirmation for him. As for Lapis, as the youngest, she had no say in this.
Akidia finally turned full to Ashen, face full of seriousness. "...Ashen, would you really like to keep your job, despite the dangers...? Would you stop wasting your life away if I let you keep doing this?"
Ashen, upon hearing her, had to warp his head around the fact that all he had to do was nod his head once for his family to allow him to disappear for another six months, possibly even putting his life at risk. And not to mention...
'She even... made disappearing for the last six months sound like some noble sacrifice. I'm not sure whether I'm impressed or horrified.'
He still nodded nonetheless, trying to make his voice as convincing as possible. "...Yes, mother."
Akidia let out a sigh and smiled bitterly. "Alright then. I'll... not stop you anymore."
The room stilled after Akidia's resigned voice quieted, but not for long. Lucia took this moment to speak one last time. "Thank you, Aunty, for giving Ashen a choice... for believing in him..."
And with the performance finally over, she excused herself with impeccable timing. "I'll give you all some privacy," she said, rising gracefully. "Family should say their goodbyes without an outsider hovering."
Her exit was tactful and on point, leaving nothing to nitpick about.
'Goodnight, sweet audience...' She did a mental parting flourish at an imaginary audience she conjured in her head, though the only audience here had been Ashen himself.
As for everyone else, she was the passionate colleague with a crush and nothing more, nothing less.